The Liturgy of the Hours/Devine Office
The Liturgy of the Hours, is also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei), and is the daily prayer of the Church.
The Hours are a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, through prayer and scripture and sanctifies the day. The content differs daily and are prayed in discreet canonical (Hours), five times each day. Each of the five Hours includes selections from the Psalms and culminate in a scriptural proclamation. The two most important Hours are Morning and Evening. The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. The five segments include:
The ‘Office of Readings,’ which seeks to provide the faithful, especially those consecrated to God in a special way, with a wider selection of passages from sacred Scripture for meditation.
The ‘Morning Prayer’, which is intended and arranged to sanctify the morning. According to St. Basil the Great, it is said in the morning so that the first stirrings of our mind may be consecrated to God and that we may take nothing in hand until we have been gladdened by the thought of God;
The ‘Evening Prayer’, which is celebrated in order that to give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the day.
The ‘Night Prayer’, which is the last prayer of the day. It is said before retiring, even if it is midnight.